21 May 2012

preparing for collapsatopia...

At my house we talk about What To Do in preparation for the big crash, the Collapse of the Economy As We Know It. Which we assume is not too distant; maybe next week like JH Kunstler is forever promising, or maybe next year, or maybe somehow not for ten or fifteen years.

This makes financial planning tricky; none of the usual instruments of finance (pension funds, federal bonds, corporate stocks, mutual funds) seem likely to hold up in such an event. But one can't just stock up on perishables like sugar and flour. I don't expect that precious metals will hold value when nothing else does. What will still be valuable when the money economy is in ruins or pretty close to ruined? I end up with the basics: food. drugs/alcohol/medicine. tools. fuel. materials that can be used to make stuff. & community, neighbors, the local relationships of the farmer's market, corner store, back-fence bartering.

With that in mind, growing food looks like a better idea all the time. Investing in the local microbrew or distillery is a fine idea. Tools are my sweetie's specialty, so that's covered. And we buy our eggs & meat from down the block, supporting our local farmers, knowing we'll want good protein when the global economy comes apart.

It will take generations to regain the deep knowledge of farming that
was thrown away in this country in the decades since WWII. Better start
now.